


Shefala Sleepover

by Musogato



Category: The Daevabad Trilogy - S. A. Chakraborty
Genre: F/M, Feels, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Sharing a Bed, Spoilers for Book 3: The Empire of Gold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26838397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musogato/pseuds/Musogato
Summary: It's their first night in Shefala and Nahri's having trouble sleeping on her own after weeks of having Ali by her side. Still haunted by what happened on the Nile, she seeks out her missing friend only to find he's having some issues of his own.
Relationships: Nahri e-Nahid/Alizayd al Qahtani
Comments: 14
Kudos: 30





	Shefala Sleepover

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by an old conversation with the Potato Heads. 💕

The knock on his door was barely audible. It was also coming from the balcony. Guards were stationed in front of both of their rooms, and with all the drama that accompanied their arrival in Shefala, Nahri was not about to add _sneaking into Ali’s room after-dark_ to their growing list of gossip. 

But the hours were long, and her mind kept returning to that night on the Nile. Qandisha burning on the shore, laughing with her eyes flame-bright as ghouls swarmed Ali. Swarmed Nahri, dragging her into the lightless depths as their boat burned around them. The muddy water choking her, blinding her, unable to free herself from their grip. 

Any attempts to sleep in that unfamiliar room, no matter how comfortable, felt impossible while alone. Although Jamshid was in the connected room next door, their history and recently expanded family connection felt too new, too fragile, for such a vulnerable request. 

And so she had climbed her way up here, to Ali's third-floor balcony. Watching her moonlit reflection in the glass paneled door as she waited for him to answer. She knocked again. 

There was an ungainly shuffle from inside, and a sudden crash as if something had been knocked over. Then Ali shuffled into view, gazing down at her through the glass. Nahri smiled sheepishly. Ali stared for a moment more, a slow grin of recognition spreading across his face. He pawed at the door handle and it pulled open. He lurched forward, swaying slightly before leaning heavily against the door frame. "Nahri," he whispered warmly. "You're here."

Nahri brushed her arm nervously. "Uh, yeah. I um, wanted to see how you were settling in."

His dazed eyes trailed over her face. "I missed you."

Nahri blinked, taken aback by his solemn tone. Ali stretched a hand toward her, pausing as moonlight fell over his skin. He turned his hand over and flexed his fingers as if to catch the moonbeam, his expression going wide with confusion. "What magic is this?"

Nahri watched him, her eyes narrowing. "Are you… feeling okay?" 

His body swayed again, the moonlight briefly crossing over his face. Nahri's hand shot out to catch his chin, pulling him back into the moonbeam. She tilted his face until the light highlighted his glazed gray eyes, his pupils widely dilated. 

Nahri's protective anger flashed. "Did someone _drug_ you?!" 

Ali yawned dramatically, momentarily breaking free from her grip. He blinked slowly at her. "Dru.. No," he sighed. "I dined. With my mother." 

Nahri's eyebrows raised indignantly. "Your _mother_ did this?" 

Ali stared blankly at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, his expression fell. "She lied to me," he said softly. "They all did. About Dhiru and… Jamshid."

_Oh._ Nahri frowned, remembering the argument in the majlis and Jamshid's fury in the prison cell. It had been a long day in a series of never-ending long days, and suddenly she too wished for a temporary break with a strong drink. She took hold of his arm and patted it gently. "Let's get you inside before you hurt yourself."

She led him back into the room when she abruptly stopped. A low table had been overturned, and some kind of shell sculpture had crashed to the ground. Sharp broken pieces littered the floor, and with her eyes downward, she saw where one of the larger pieces had gone. 

"Ali, there's a shell sticking out of your leg."

He gazed down at the bloody mess for several beats. "Is there not usually?" 

Nahri pursed her lips. "All right. Let's sit down, right over here," she said, leading him to the bed, "and I will take care of it."

He dropped down onto the bed's edge, nearly falling over before Nahri intervened. She glared at him for a moment with her hands stretched out, as if that would be enough to keep him upright. Then she turned for a table near the wall that held various supplies. Looking it over, she grabbed a small towel and filled a small bowl with water. Ali had managed to remain sitting as she returned, and she settled onto the floor by his legs.

"I'm going to pull this shell out, and then we'll use the seal to heal your leg. All right?" She looked up at Ali, who gazed back at her with steadily growing concern. "Ali?" 

"D-did you get smaller?" His voice hitched, eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and worry. "Are you going to vanish?" he whispered in horror. 

Nahri opened and closed her mouth. Unleashing the seal's powerful wave of magic when he was in this inebriated state suddenly seemed like a very bad idea. She reached for his hand reassuringly. 

"No, my friend, I am not shrinking. Let's forget the magic. I will just bandage this." She got up, checking the room's supplies. No first aid, which seemed like an oversight considering the guest. There was however a drawer with several turban cloths folded neatly inside, and she grabbed a pale blue one. "This will do for now." 

With Ali distracted by a new moonbeam streaming in through the window, Nahri removed the shell piece from Ali's leg. The wound wasn't too bad, and curiously seemed to improve as she washed away the blood. She wrapped it with the turban cloth, securing it with a tight bow. 

"I guess that will be a mystery to _you_ in the morning," she mumbled as she stood, setting the supplies back on the table. 

Ali lurched to his feet and then immediately swayed. Nahri quietly called out, catching his shoulders to steady him. 

"Okay, you've done enough walking around for tonight."

She led him to the side of the bed where the sheets had already been thrown back. He dropped unceremoniously onto the mattress and then exhaled loudly as if he were already falling asleep. She pulled the sheets over him and tucked them tightly under his side. "There. No falling out." 

He said nothing, his eyes closed. Nahri watched his sleeping face for a moment before heading to the balcony. She paused at the door. Despite the moonlight, the jungle beyond was mostly untouched; a dark mass of unknown shapes and creatures, its outer edges only faintly highlighted. Her thoughts drifted back to that night on the Nile, the bodies of her countrymen floating in the water. Something caught her eye and she stepped back before she recognized that what she saw was her reflection in the glass. She frowned. Behind her, Ali's steady breathing mingled with the sounds of frogs and insects drifting in through the open windows.

"I suppose, as your doctor, I should stay to make sure you survive the night," she whispered to herself, turning around. Nahri walked to the unused side of the enormous teak bed and hesitantly sat on the edge. She glanced down at Ali's still form, memories of Cairo and the apothecary rushing back to her. She tested the firmness of the bed and faintly smiled.

"This is some upgrade from the bed rolls Yaqub lent us." 

Ali continued breathing. Nahri huffed as if reaching a decision, then swung her legs up onto the bed and laid on top of the covers. She stretched out, sighing. 

"Damn, these beds are comfortable."

She glanced over at Ali again and startled; his eyes were open and staring right at her. He blinked slowly and Nahri took a breath. 

"Suleiman's eye, Ali, I thought you were asleep."

His gaze drifted over the room before returning to her in quiet confusion. "D-did we get married?"

"What? No. I'm, uh, just visiting."

"Oh. I don't get visitors." 

Nahri's lip quirked. "Good."

"Except once."

Nahri stared at him.

"I--"

"Ali, please," Nahri said, cutting him off, "Please don't make this awkward."

"Ants are awkward," he mumbled, blinking sleepily back up at the ceiling.

Nahri shook her head at him. "What on earth were you given?"

Silence fell between them, and Nahri's thoughts began to wander, tracing the journey they'd made. "Well, we're finally in Ta Ntry," she whispered after a long moment. "All that's left is… the war." Her last words were spoken with a hush, a flood of thoughts and fears she wasn't yet ready to face. 

She hesitated, glancing over at Ali with consideration. "Would you have stayed in Cairo with me?"

At her side, he blinked his eyes open at the moonlit windows. "Yes," he said quietly. He turned to meet her gaze, his eyes shining sadly. "If you had asked once more." His face cracked as he frowned. "I'm a bad person." 

Nahri reached out to brush his forehead. "No, Ali. You're not bad for wanting to live. It would've been nice there. We would've been happy. We're not bad for wanting that." She made a fierce expression as if to convince him, but he closed his eyes and faced the ceiling. 

"Bad. Bad son, bad brother. Bad friend."

Nahri watched him and sighed. She pushed back her headscarf and ruffled her hair. "If we're so bad, maybe we _should_ become pirates then."

Ali opened his eyes. "You would be a great pirate." 

Nahri chuckled. "Oh yeah? Trick people out of their money. Live however we want. You can't sword fight though, I don't want you hurting anyone."

His eyes rolled to meet her gaze and she quirked her mouth. 

"You can punch them. Or do your fancy tricks to disarm them. That's it."

Ali stared at her like he was lost in his own thoughts. "You would look pretty in a big turban and coat."

"You wouldn't look too bad yourself, sailor," she smirked. A sudden yawn interrupted her. "If using your marid powers weren't so dangerous, you could find sunken treasure. I could pawn them for supplies. Traveling around the world, learning about new places...going back to visit Yaqub... It'd be fun."

She smiled at their would-be adventures, the lives they could have had if duty wasn't theirs to uphold. If everything they did wasn't met with disaster. _Qandisha waiting for them on the shore; fire racing down the mast of their little boat. The ghouls--_

"You look sad," Ali whispered, cutting through her thoughts.

Nahri blinked, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "Everything is just so much. I can't sleep. And... it was lonely, not having you around." She frowned, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks. She glanced at Ali, who was staring back at her quietly, his eyebrows slanted upwards. She looked away, smoothing the hem of her headscarf. "Do you still get nightmares?"

"Not when I dream of you." 

She turned her gaze back on him. "What?" 

Ali's eyelids were drooping, sleep steadily claiming him. He smiled briefly, nuzzling his face into the pillow. "It's better with you," he murmured, his eyes falling shut. 

Nahri watched him for a long moment, uncertainty and tenderness filling her chest. She took a deep breath, turning her gaze to the ceiling. "Yeah. I suppose it is."

She listened to their slowing breathing and the distant chirps until she too drifted to sleep. 

In the pre-dawn, Nahri woke up on instinct. She hadn't moved an inch in her sleep, but Ali had managed to roll over, further tangling himself up in the sheets. His face was buried in his pillow and she listened for several panic-inducing moments until she heard him breathing. She rubbed her eyes and sat up with a sigh. _I need to leave._

The sky was a deep purple and getting lighter when she climbed down the trellis and made her way back to her balcony. The inner room was dark and the door still unlocked. _So far so good._ She slipped inside and turned to latch it shut. 

"Where have you been?"

Nahri spun around to see Jamshid standing by the door that joined their rooms, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. 

"Out. Wanted some air." Nahri feigned casually, leaning back against the door. Jamshid's eyes flicked over her rumpled clothes and headscarf. A brief look of disgust flashed in his face, but then he was turning away. 

"The queen stopped by last night, looking for you."

Nahri frowned. "She did? Why?" 

"She wouldn't say." Jamshid took a long sip from his cup. Then he glanced back at her, his eyes again flicking with barely concealed judgment. "Don't worry, I covered for you."

Nahri's face twitched at the unspoken insinuation. She wasn't sure what having a brother would be like, but this judgment on her personal life was not going to fly. She bit back a jab regarding his and Muntadhir's liaisons, realizing in time that it was too soon for such remarks. 

Nahri exhaled loudly instead and reached for a comb. "Whatever it was, I doubt it was anything important."


End file.
